La Grande Terche, Roc d'Enfer & Saint Jean d'Aulps

So what's what?

Roc d'Enfer is the name of the local mountain, which rises from 1081m to 2244m. It's the peak around which the Espace Roc d'Enfer ski area is based.

La Grande Terche is the small ski village surrounding the lift, bars and restaurants at the base of the mountain. Maison Deux Cent is 200m from the lift and around here there's a small supermarket and a couple of ski hire shops. There's an ice rink in the winter.

Saint Jean d'Aulps is the alpine village at the bottom of the valley which leads up to Morzine & Avoriaz. At its heart you'll find a wider choice of restaurants and bars as well as a patisserie, boulangerie and large, very well stocked supermarket. It's 2.5km walk downhill to the centre of the village or a couple of mins in the car.

Skiing

Espace Roc d'Enfer is family ski area set in a beautiful alpine setting, with access to 50km of pistes. The ski range extends from 950 to 1800m. There are 23 pistes served by 18 lifts, with the highlight being a 20km circuit of the whole area.

The area really doesn't do queues and so the pistes are not crowded - perfect for families. When it dumps with snow, the off-piste is yours to enjoy all day!

More than 100 snow canons ensure permanent snow base during the ski season when nature falls short. The ski season normally closes in the second or third week of April.

It's part of the extensive Portes du Soleil ski area and if you buy the whole area pass, you can ski over to Switzerland from Avoriaz and Morzine.

To access this area, you need to drive - or catch the ski bus from La Grande Terche - to the Ardent gondola which takes you up to the Avoriaz section of the Portes du Soleil. It's about 13km and there is plenty of parking right by the lift.

Hiking

There are 200km of marked trails and paths fanning the entire valley. Being able to wander off into the wilderness is one of the more unexpected joys of staying at the chalet.

The cable car takes you to 1500m, where you can make the most of unspoilt routes amid the foothills of the Roc d'Enfer, with panoramas of Mont Blanc and the Dents du Midi.

The alpine hamlet in Graydon Alpage is surrounded by a breathtaking ring of peaks and is definitely worth the hike.

Biking

Morzine, Avoriaz and the whole of the Portes du Soleil area is a mecca for mountain bikers the world over, with thousands of kilometres of down hill and cross country trails, an extensive lift system, bike park areas - all set in beautiful mountain scenery.

If you prefer to keep it on the road, then follow in the tracks of Chris Froome along the alpine roads and perhaps stop somewhere nice for a spot of lunch.